Chapter 9

The living room was pitch black. I didn't turn on the lights, just made out the outlines of furniture by the moonlight streaming through the windows.

The Bentley had long since driven away, but Benjamin's scent seemed to still linger at the tip of my nose, along with his last low-voiced words, rippling through my heart.

Benjamin was an elegant beast who never bothered to hide his desires and ambitions.

I was about to go upstairs when the hallway light on the second floor suddenly came on. Then Winter appeared at the top of the stairs in her bathrobe.

She'd obviously been disturbed by the car sounds outside. When she saw it was me, her face immediately filled with nastiness and displeasure.

"So you know how to come home? Out messing around with some man in the middle of the night - is this how the White family raised you?" she demanded from her high position, her voice shrill.

I couldn't be bothered to argue with her. I changed out of my heels, ready to go straight upstairs.

My ignoring her completely set her off.

Winter rushed down the stairs and raised her hand to slap my face, cursing as she did, "Today I'm going to teach you a lesson for your mother, you shameless woman!"

Her movement was fast and vicious, carrying long-accumulated resentment.

In the past, I might have been too scared to know what to do, but now, my heart is completely calm.

Just as her slap was about to land, I instinctively shifted my body to the side while "accidentally" taking a step back.

Winter missed completely. Her raised arm's momentum carried her whole body forward, and her foot tripped on the high heels I'd just taken off.

There was a dull thud, followed by her piercing scream as she fell hard onto the cold, hard marble floor.

"My back!" Winter lay on the ground, her face twisted in pain, starting to throw a tantrum. "Are you rebelling? Ophelia, you bitch, how dare you lay hands on me! Michael, get down here and see - your wife is trying to kill someone!"

I stood there, looking down at her pathetic state, showing just the right amount of panic and helplessness on my face. "Mom, how could you be so careless? I... I didn't mean to."

But inside, I was sneering.

Want to hit me? Dream on.

Winter tried to get up to continue hitting me, but a shiny black leather shoe blocked her path.

A tall man in a black suit with a stern face had appeared in the living room at some point. He stood in front of me like a wall, looking down at Winter wailing on the ground, his eyes showing no emotion.

"Ms. Hayes, please watch your words and actions." His voice was steady and cold, without a ripple of emotion.

Winter froze. She probably hadn't expected a strange man to suddenly appear in the house. She struggled to lift her head and said angrily, "Who are you? How dare you meddle in our family business! Get out!"

The man ignored her shouting and turned slightly toward me, bowing his head respectfully. "Ms. White, are you alright? Sir sent me to protect your safety."

Benjamin's man.

I understood.

It seemed Benjamin not only saw me as a worthwhile investment but had also sent someone to watch over me at all times.

Fine by me - this actually saved me a lot of trouble.

"I'm fine, thank you," I replied calmly.

"Good." Chase Ellis nodded and turned back to Winter, his tone firm. "Sir's orders are to ensure Ms. White's safety. No one is permitted to harm her in any way."

The powerful, commanding presence he carried made Winter forget to cry for a moment. She just stared at him in shock, then at me, her eyes full of disbelief.

Just then, the bedroom door upstairs opened, and Michael came running down after hearing the commotion.

"Mom! What happened?" Seeing Winter on the ground and Chase in confrontation, his face changed. He rushed over to help Winter up. "What's going on?"

"Michael, perfect timing!" Winter found her backbone and pointed at me and Chase and me, crying out, "This woman pushed me! And she brought some man home to bully me!"

Michael's gaze immediately shot toward me like a knife, full of accusation and anger. "Ophelia, what the hell is going on?"

Before I could speak, Chase stepped in front of me, his voice still cold and hard. "Mr. Johnson, please watch your attitude. Ms. White didn't push anyone. Your mother fell on her own."

"Who the hell are you? What gives you the right to speak here?" Michael, challenged by a bodyguard, couldn't save face and grew even angrier.

"Mom, get up first. Whatever it is, let's talk it out." He tried to help Winter up first to ease the tension.

However, the shock Winter experienced today clearly went beyond this. She shook off Michael's hand. As if suddenly remembering something more important, she forgot about her back pain and struggled up from the floor, glaring at me.

"Let me ask you!" Her voice was so shrill it could pierce eardrums, her whole body trembling with rage. "Today I went shopping with Mrs. Fisher and the others. I saw some jewelry I liked and asked the clerk to withdraw money from my property fund, and guess what?"

My heart sank slightly, but my face remained calm.

Michael frowned impatiently. "Mom, why are you bringing this up now?"

"You shut up!" Winter yelled at him, her bloodshot eyes locked on me as she demanded word by word, "The bank told me that the fund has been frozen! Those two properties you gave Michael... the ownership documents were transferred back to your name last week! Ophelia, did you take back the assets you gave Michael?"

She practically screamed that last sentence.

The air instantly froze.

I could clearly see the anger and impatience on Michael's face completely fade the moment he heard those words, replaced by enormous shock and panic.

He whipped his head around, staring at me hard, his eyes looking like they wanted to tear me apart.

"Ophelia," his voice was dry and hoarse, full of disbelief, "is what my mom is saying true?"

I looked at Michael's face, pale with shock, feeling nothing but ice-cold calm inside.

Finally, it had come.

I just hadn't expected Winter's greed to make her discover this so quickly.

Michael's knuckles were white from clenching so hard. He stared at me, his voice full of barely suppressed panic and rage. "Ophelia, answer me. Is what my mom said true or not?"